Stud brace for building construction



July 25, 1967 1-; TUTTLE 3,332,196

STUD BRACE FOR BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed July l9, 1965 INVENTOR fibaz/vz FZZTTLE 2% vxfw.

United States Patent STUD BRACE FOR BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Eugene F. Tuttle, 5108 Bluebell, North Hollywood, Calif. 91607 Filed July 19, 1965, Ser. No. 472,859 9 Claims. (Cl. 52-693) This invention relates to the bracing of wall studs and building construction'and has as its general object to provide improved stud bracing means of simplified construction, reduced cost and greatly increased speed of application as compared to the common practice of sawing from 2 by 4 lumber a series of braces having parallelmitred ends and then nailing these braces between the studs.

With this general object in view, the invention provides stud bracing means:

(1) Utilizing thin strap metal adapted to be nailed diagonally between and across the co-planar narrow faces of the studs;

(2) Which can be extended continuously across a plurality of consecutive pairs of studs, or can be restricted to the length necessary for bridging between a single pair of adjacent studs;

(3) Including anchor clips for anchoring the bracing straps to the studs at the points of crossing of the studs by the straps and to sills and plates, and through which the nailing is effected;

(4) Having means for effecting secure locking of the anchor clips to the bracing straps so as to prevent subsequent shifting of one with respect to the other;

(5) Wherein such locking means is embodied in preformed nesting means in the anchor clips, adapted to form the interposed area of the bracing strap into corresponding nesting relation under the pressure of the nail head driven through the clip and the strap into the stud.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent in the ensuing specification and appended drawing in which:

FIG. lis a front elevational view of a wall-frame structure embodying a plurality of vertical studs braced by the improved stud brace means of my invention; A g

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary elevational view of the same;

FIG. 3, is a detail sectional view of the same taken on line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a face view of the anchor clip in a partially completed state;

FIG. 5 is a transverse sectional view of the same, indicating further stages in the formation of the clip;

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view of the completed clip', assembled upon a bracing strap prior to attachment to a stud;

FIG. 7 is an end view of the same; and

FIG. 8 is a back face view of the clip.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, I have shown therein, as an example of one form in which the invention may be embodied, a means for bracing a plurality of spaced vertical studs of a Wall framing structure indicated generally at A, said bracing means comprising, in general, one or more bracing straps B and a plurality of anchor clips C through which respective anchor nails D are driven after first slipping the clips C over a bracing straps B at the points of crossings of the studs by the bracing straps B. After thus positioning the clips, they are closed by hammering which also serves to drive them into preliminary anchored attachment to the studs, and the nails D are then piloted in preformed openings in the clips and are then driven through the bracing straps B while being held against lateral displacements by retaining action of the clips. The bracing straps B are imperforate and the nails D function to punch respective holes through the straps at the points determined by the piloting of the nail points in the clip apertures.

The wall frame structure A comprises a plurality of laterally spaced vertical studs 10 (eg 2" x 4" timbers) secured to and extending vertically between floor plates 11 and upper plates 12, with the studs at the respective sides of each wall unit being reinforced by a second 2" x 4" timber to provide a corner post, door frame post or the like as indicated at 13. The bracing straps B are nailed to the co-planar narrow faces of the studs to which suitable lath or other plaster supporting means (or dry wall panels) are subsequently attached. Straps are also attached, at their respective ends, to sills 11 and plates 12. The straps B are of thin strap'metal, having a thickness of the order of inch and which may be within the range of .015 inch-.020 inch thickness. The width of the strap material may be within a range including inch and up to 1 inch width. The clips C may be approximately square, with both width in the folded clip. The metal thickness of the clips may be approximately the same as that of the straps, so as to make it possible to utilize the same material for both straps and clips.

The clips C are of stamped and formed construction, each comprising an underneath check 20 and a covering check 21 integrally joined by a transverse web 22, the cheek 20 having an inwardly formed annular cup 23 provided with a central aperture 24, and the inner cheek 21 having an opposed annular cup 25 of a contour corresponding to that of the cup 23 but of smaller radius to the extent of twice the thickness of the conical lateral wall 26 of the cup 23, whereby the cup 25 can be nested within the cup 23 with a strap B interposed between the lateral wall 26 of cup 23 and the corresponding lateral Wall 27 .of the cup 25, as at 28 in FIG. 3.

Cup 25 has an aperture 29 registering with the aperture 24 of cup 23 so that a nail D can be driven through the aligned apertures.

The anchor clip further includes a pair of stud-penetrating prongs 31 integral with and projecting from the free-end of cheek 20, and a second pair of stud-penetrating prongs 32 integral with and projecting from the underneath check 20 where it joins the web 22. In the fabrication of the clip, the free end of cheek 21 may have mitred corners 33 formed by shearing away the triangular sections of material which form the prongs 31 of another clip, whereby the clips can be blanked from continuous ribbon stock without any substantial waste of material, as indicated by the phantom showing of a fragmentary portion of an adjoining clip in FIG. 4. The prongs 32 are correspondingly formed by shearing diagonal cuts 34 in the mid-portion of the clip blank, whereby the cheek 21 is provided with another pair of mitred corners 35 adjacent its junction with the return-bent web 22. The area of the blank from which web 22 is formed by folding, is indicated at 122 between the dot-dash lines of FIG. 4. The prongs 32 are bent from the end of cheek 20 along the line where the latter joins the web 22.

In the installation of the bracing, straps B are cut to selected length from a coil of plain strapping. The length may be such as to extend diagonally between floor plate or sill 11 and upper plate 12 and incrossing relation to a number of the studs 10 as shown in FIG. 1, or may be cut to shorter lengths such as to bridge between 2, 3 or more studs 10, according to the requirements for a particular job as seen by the workmen. Braces can be attached both to front and rear sides of a wall frame unit A, For example, FIG. 1 discloses a brace B installed diagonally on the front side of the wall frame unit seen in FIG. 1, and a second brace B1 installed diagonally, with an opposite incline, in crossing relation to brace B, on the rear side of the wall frame unit as seen in FIG. 1. Alternatively, the second brace B1 could be installed on the front side directly beneath and in direct contact with the rear side of the strap B.

The workman then assembles one or more clips C over the free end of the strap, with the strap embraced between the cheeks 20 and 21 of the clips as shown in FIG. 6. The spacing between the checks is such that the strap may be frictionally engaged between the bottom of a cup 25 and the opposed face of check 20 so as to temporarily hold the clip to the strap in the position where it has been placed. Assuming that one or more clips have been assembled on one end of the strap (eg, the upper leftward end of strap B as seen in FIG. 1) so as to register with the pair of contacting 2" by 4 timbers constituting the upper plate 12, the workman will place that end of the strap in such registering position and will then attach that end of the strap to the upper plate by driving nails D through the clips. The opposite (lower right) end of the strap B is then attached in a similar manner to the sill 11 after cutting the strap to the proper length and assembling two or more of the clips C on that end of the strap. With the points of crossing of the studs 10 by the strap being thereby determined, the workman can quickly install additional clips over the strap B at the crossing points and drive additional nails D through these clips and into the respective studs to provide secure anchorage of the strap to each of the studs crossed thereby.

Before driving a nail D through a clip and the portion of the strap embraced therebetween, the anchor prongs 31, 32, initially bearing against the surfaces of the studs at their points, with the clips correspondingly spaced away from the studs, will be driven into the studs by hammering against the clip. This will tend to flatten the connector web 22 of the clip and to deform the embraced portion of the stud B between the cups 23 and 25, as the cup 23 is brought into contact with a stud 10 as indicated in FIG. 6 (wherein the prongs 31, 32 are shown driven partway into the stud). This preliminary hammering of the clip will also :drive the cup 23 of the rearward check 20 into the engaged face of the stud 10 (assuming that the latter is of a soft wood such as is commonly used in building frame structures). When the clip has been seated against the face of the stud with the prongs 31 and 32 fully embedded, a nail D is applied to the clip with its point piloted in the aperture 29 of the covering check 21. With the point of the nail thus retained against sliding against the imperforate surface of the strap D against which it has been placed, the nail can be driven through the strap B, piercing an aperture therein, with the metal of strap B that is displaced by such piercing operation being pushed into the aperture 24 of the underneath cheek 20 in the form of an annular burr 37 which establishes locking engagement between the strap B and the cup 25. At the same time, the head 38 f the nail D will substantially fill the cup 25 of the covering cheek, 21 and will thereby function as a mandrel to support the outer cup 25 in deforming the interposed metal of strap B into the form of a cup nested between and conforming to the configuration of the cups 25 and 23. The dimensions of the clip are such that the cup 25 will receive the nail '4 head 38 with a sufficiently close fit to utilize the nail head as a mandrel.

I claim:

1. Stud bracing apparatus comprising: an imperforate bracing strap of ribbon metal sufliciently thin to be readily pierced by a brace anchor nail and of a length such as to extend between at least one pair of building wall framing studs; and an anchor clip of formed sheet metal comprising a pair of cheek and a return bent web integrally joining adjacent ends of said cheeks, said cheeks being adapted to embrace said bracing strap between them, with one of the cheeks underneath the strap, and the other cheek in covering relation thereto, and having opposed coaxial nestable cups formed therein, projecting in a common direction, away from said covering cheek, said cups having respective aligned apertures through which a nail may be driven so as to pierce an interposed portion of said bracing strap and enter the stud behind said one check, said cups being adapted to deform said interposed portion of the strap into corresponding cup form nested between said cups so as to interlock said 'bracing strap with said clip.

2. Stud bracing apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the cup of said covering cheek is dimensioned to receive the head of a stud anchoring nail with sufficicnt closeness to utilize said head as a mandrel to support said covering cheek cup for functioning as a punch to deform the interposed portion of said strap into the cup of the underneath cheek.

3. Stud bracing apparatus comprising: an imperforate bracing strap of ribbon metal sufficiently thin to be readily pierced by a brace anchor nail and of a length such as to extend between at least one pair of building wall framing studs; and an anchor clip of formed sheet metal comprising a pair of cheeks and a return bent web integrally joining adjacent ends of said cheeks, said cheeks having a length such as to extend substantially across said bracing strap and being adapted to embrace the strap between them with one of the cheeks underneath the strap and the other cheek in covering relation thereto, having opposed coaxial nestable cups formed therein projecting in a common direction away from a rearward one of said cheeks having integral stud-penetrating prongs projecting in the same direction as said cups and adapted to be embedded in a stud, said cups having respective aligned apertures into which a nail may be driven so as to pierce an interposed portion of said bracing strap and enter the stud behind said one cheek, said cups being adapted to deform said interposed portion of the strap into corresponding cup form nested between said cups so as to interlock said bracing strap with said clip.

4. Stud bracing apparatus as defined in claim 3, Wherein said checks are generally rectangular and said prongs are formed at the four corners of said underneath check.

5. Stud bracing apparatus as defined in claim 4, wherein said prong are disposed in planes extending parallel to said connector web.

' 6. Stud bracing apparatus as defined in claim 5, wherein the cup of said covering cheek is dimensioned to receive the head of a stud anchoring nail with sufficient closeness to utilize said head as a mandrel to support said cup in functioning as a punch to deform the interposed portion of said strap into the cup of said one cheek.

7. A wall frame structure for a building comprising: a plurality of spaced vertical studs; a bracing strap extending diagonally across and between a plurality of said studs; a plurality of anchor clips each comprising a pair of cheeks embracing opposite sides of said strap and an integral return-bent web joining siad cheeks with one of said cheeks underneath the strap and the other cheek in covering relation thereto, said cheeks having respective perforated cups in nesting relation with an interposed portion of said strap deformed into nesting cup form; and respective anchor nails each driven through the apertures.

5 of a pair of said cheeks, piercing the interposed portion of said strap and embedded in a stud beneath a respective clip with the head of said nail received in the cup of the covering cheek of said clip.

8. A wall frame as defined in claim 7, wherein said nail head is fitted sufficiently closely within said cup of the covering cheek to function as a mandrel supporting the same in deforming said interposed portion of the strap into nested relation.

9. A wall frame structure as defined in claim 7, wherein the cup of the underneath cheek is embedded in the respective stud so as to interlock said clip with said stud.

6 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 5/1923 Trimble 5-353.5 10/1925 Woodjard 52-6'82 10/1934 Reuter et al. 85-11 9/1936 Jones 85-13 12/1941 Linder 5353.1 X 11/ 1942 Boydstun 52-657 X 10/1958 'Latimer et al 52-693 FRANCIS K. ZUGEL, Primary Examiner. 

1. STUD BRACING APPARATUSS COMPRISING: AN IMPERFORATE BRACING STRAP OF RIBBON METAL SUFFICIENTLY THIN TO BE READILY PIERCED BY A BRACE ANCHOR NAIL AND OF A LENGTH SUCH AS TO EXTEND BETWEEN AT LEAST ONE PAIR OF BUILDING WALL FRAMING STUDS; AND AN ANCHOR CLIP OF FORMED SHEET METAL COMPRISING A PAIR OF CHEEKS AND A RETURN BENT WEB INTEGRALLY JOINING ADJACENT ENDS OF SAID CHEEKS, SAID CHEEKS BEING ADAPTED TO EMBRACE SAID BRACING STRAP BETWEEN THEM, WITH ONE OF THE CHEEKS UNDERNEATH THE STRAP, AND THE OTHER CHEEK IN COVERING RELATION THERETO, AND HAVING OPPOSED COAXIAL NESTABLE CUPS FORMED THEREIN, PROJECTING IN A COMMON DIRECTION, AWAY FROM SAID COVERING CHEEK, SAID CUPS HAVING RESPECTIVE ALIGNED APERTURES THROUGH WHICH A NAIL MAY BE DRIVEN SO AS TO PIERCE AN INTERPOSED PORTION OF SAID BRACING STRAP AND ENTER THE STUD BEHIND SAID ONE CHEEK, SAID CUPS BEING ADAPTED TO DEFORM SAID INTERPOSED PORTION OF THE STRAP INTO CORRESPINDING CUP FORM NESTED BETWEEN SAID CUPS SO AS TO INTERLOCK SAID BRACING STRAP WITH SAID CLIP. 